High School Baseball Roundup : Garland Finishes What He Starts to Win

Brandon Garland’s was thinking about compromise, his shoulder was still stiff and he had butterflies in his stomach. All were the result of not pitching enough this season.

Garland, who went the distance for host Clairemont Friday in a 5-4 City Western League victory over University City (4-11, 2-3), hasn’t been the starting pitcher since the first game of the season. A shoulder injury had kept him in left field, clearly his second-favorite position.

Garland (1-1) got the call from his coach, Dave Buttles, because of his strong relief appearance Wednesday against Kearny, when he struck out the only two batters he faced to pick up a save.

Garland, a senior right-hander, decided he would just throw fastballs in the first inning Friday to test his shoulder. Turned out to be decent strategy; he allowed nine hits to earn the victory.

Staying with the basics in the first inning helped.

“I said, ‘Well, Brandon, one inning is not much to sacrifice for seven,’ ” Garland said. “They didn’t hit one ball solid on me.”

Of course, Clairemont wasn’t exactly a terror at the plate either. The Chieftains (8-8, 4-2) had four hits, including a first-inning, first-pitch home run by Antoine Henry and a timely sixth-inning double by Jesus Jauregui.

Clairemont trailed, 4-1, going in to the bottom of the sixth. Two University City errors gave Jauregui the opportunity to win it. He fouled off three curveballs before driving a fastball to left, scoring the tying and winning runs.

A half-inning later, Garland finished the job.

“He was throwing the ball a lot harder,” Buttles said, “but I think he tried to come back a little too soon.”

Garland, seeking a college scholarship to play baseball next year, is learning new pitches, including a forkball. He has the tools, Buttles said. He just needs to set his mind to the game a bit more.

“The biggest thing with Brandon is between the ears,” Buttles said. “He’s the kind of guy you have to pump up all the time. He has got a lot of potential. But he just has got to work harder. In his mind he’s working hard. But in my mind it’s not hard enough.”